BC Angels to Play Saskatoon in First Canadian Lingerie Bowl

Another chapter in Canadian women’s sporting history shall be written on November 17 as the British Columbia Angels and Saskatoon Sirens will battle to win Lingerie Bowl Canada I. Being held at the Abbottsford Entertainment and Sports Centre in Abbottsford, British Columbia, the Angels stand to benefit from the home-field advantage.

The September 1 regular season meeting between the two had all the makings of a David and Goliath scenario. A preseason No.1 ranked squad, the BC Angels came off a 44-18 season-opening dismantling of the Regina Rage. As the Saskatoon Sirens were ranked No. 4 in the preseason, the Angels entered the contest as heavy favorites.

After a 22-18 win in favor of the Sirens (including a 22-6 lead), the Angels discovered that there would be competition for bragging rights as the elite team in LFL Canada. The Sirens defense neutralized Stephanie Manou (who would finish the season as the LFL Canada rushing champion), who managed to run for only 44 yards in the loss.

Starting quarterback Mary-Anne Hanson was picked off twice and was only able to complete 6 of 16 passes in the loss. SteviSchnoor strained her knee in the loss, neutralizing a key component of the Angels durability on offense.

Many of the league’s statistical leaders are from the Angels and hope to be prominent in Lingerie Bowl Canada I. Angels QB Mary-Anne Hanson led all quarterbacks in passing yards with 206, and tied for the lead in passing touchdowns with six.

Stephanie Manou’s 337 yards were 45 yards better than runner-up Nikki Johnson of Regina. Manou would finish second to Johnson in rushing touchdowns, as Johnson had nine, compared to five by Manou. Defensively, Katie Marshall of the Angels had a league high three sacks.

One of the Angels leaders on defense, Jessica Hopkins, who led LFL Canada with 27 tackles stated, “In order for BC to win the Lingerie Bowl we are going to have to play a solid 32 minutes of Angels football. Every game has been a roller coaster with glimpses of offensive domination with Stephanie Manou running all over defenses and Mary Anne Hanson connecting with Aleesa Garcia at will, but it's just that; glimpses.”

Images from LFL Canada

Hopkins continued, “We need to find a way to do it EVERY game consistently. Our defense has been fairly consistent but we're going to have to take it up a few notches to stop the "Furrler" of Saskatoon and I'm excited at a chance for redemption against them.”

The nickname for the combination of US imports Heather Furr and Anne Erler, Furrler took the league by storm. The 22-18 match saw Furr and Erler combine for two interceptions and two touchdown passes.

They were the key to the Sirens' remarkable 3-0 start and the Sirens finished the season with the league’s best record. Erler has led LFL Canada in touchdown passes with six. Defensively, Furr finished tied for second in LFL Canada with 23 tackles, while Erler was equally impressive on defense as her six interceptions led the league.